St Margarets Circular walk

Quiet rolling Hertfordshire countryside, a haunted, ruined church and long stretches in scenic river valleys.

Length	25.7 km (16.0 miles), with 270m ascent/descent. For a shorter walk see below Walk Options.
Toughness	5 out of 10, with 5 hours 30 minutes walking time. For the whole outing, including trains, sights and meals, allow at least 8 hours.
Walk Notes	This walk leads along ancient tracks and green lanes through some very quiet, rolling East Hertfordshire countryside defined by wheat fields and woods, in-between extensive stretches along the Ash, Rib and Lea rivers. Cold Christmas hamlet and a haunted, ruined church are passed just before lunch in Wadesmill. Long parts of the afternoon route are spent in the quiet scenic Ash valley, before passing through Amwell Nature Reserve, a bird watcher’s paradise. The final stretch leads along the Lea Navigation back to St. Margarets. Stile Count: 2; Arable Field Crossings: 330 metres.
Walk Options	Shortcut I cuts out the outer loop of this walk to leave an hourglass-shaped walk of 19.5 km (12.2 mi), while also cutting ascent/descent by 66m, this is rated 3/10. Shortcut II cuts out 1.6 km (1.0 mi) and 12m ascent/descent from the main walk, around lunch (5/10). Buses to Ware or Hertford train stations (one or two stops further from London on the same line) are available from the lunch pubs in Wadesmill (Mon-Sat only) and Wareside (Mon-Fri only).
Maps	OS Landranger: 166 (Luton & Hertford) and 167 (Chelmsford, only for a very tiny part) OS Explorer: 194 (Hertford & Bishop’s Stortford)
Travel	St. Margarets Station, map reference TL 381117, is in East Hertfordshire, 6 km south east of Hertford, and 29m above sea level. St. Margarets Station is on the Liverpool Street to Hertford East line (and within the Oyster Pay As You Go-area) with a half-hourly service, journey time 39 minutes (41 on weekdays). Trains stop at Tottenham Hale (connect from the Victoria Line). Buy a return to St. Margarets (Herts). Saturday Walkers' Club: Take the train closest to 9.45 hours, if walking the full walk, and the one closest to 10.15 hours for the shortest version.
Lunch	Long Walk The Anchor Cambridge Road, Wadesmill, Herts, SG12 0TD (01920 462 861). The Anchor is located 10.8 km (6.7 mi) into the main walk. Currently closed. The Feathers Inn 49 Cambridge Road, Wadesmill, Herts, SG12 0TN (01920 462 606). Open daily 11.00-23.00. The Feathers Inn and Hotel is located 10.9 km (6.8 mi) into the main walk. Short Walk The White Horse Ware Road, Wareside, Ware, Herts, SG12 7QX (01920 464 433). The White Horse is located 12.9 km (8.0 mi) into the shortcut version of the walk and 6.7 km (4.1 mi) from the end of all walk options. Chequers Inn Ware Road, Wareside, Ware, Herts, SG12 7QY (01920 467 010). The Chequers Inn is located 12.9 km (8.0 mi) into the shortcut version of the walk and 6.7 km (4.1 mi) from the end of all walk options.
Tea	The Jolly Fisherman 8 Station Road, Stanstead St. Margarets, Ware, Herts, SG12 8DH (01920 870 125). A McMullen’s pub with outdoor seating by the Lea Navigation. The Oak 36 High Street, Stanstead Abbotts, Ware, Herts, SG12 8AG (01920 877 294). The Oak is a village pub and dining rooms, specialising in artisan pizze. The Red Lion 1 High Street, Stanstead Abbots, Ware, Herts, SG12 8AA (01920 410 056).

Profile
Help Us!	After the walk, we would love to get your feedback You can upload photos to the SWC Group on Flickr (upload your photos) and videos to Youtube. This walk's tags are: swcwalks swcwalk165
By Train	Out (not a train station) Back (not a train station)
By Car	Start SG12 8DS Map Directions
Amazon	OS Explorer 174 OS Explorer 194
Help	🚧 SE Start walking Large print Using GPS data National Rail: 03457 48 49 50 • Travelline (bus times): 0871 200 22 33 (12p/min) • TFL (London) : 0343 222 1234
Version	Jun-20 Thomas G
Copyright	© Saturday Walkers Club. All Rights Reserved. No commercial use. No copying. No derivatives. Free with attribution for one time non-commercial use only. www.walkingclub.org.uk/site/license.shtml